Take a Trip Down Memory Lane With the Jeep Gladiator

1. Handsome.... And Hardy

Originally nicknamed Handsome and Hardy, the Jeep Gladiator first appeared on the scene in 1962 as the 1963 Gladiator. The Gladiator became an instant hit for being an extremely capable truck, not limited to conventional roads. Right from the start, the Jeep Gladiator was only offered as a four-wheel drive truck. The full-size pickup was offered with a single-overhead cam six-cylinder engine, and it was built on the 1946-1962 Jeep station wagon's chassis.

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2. The Legendary Grille

One of the most popular things on the Jeep Gladiator was its grille, which was called the rhino grille. The upright grille was on the Gladiator from its introduction until 1970. In 1971, however, the grille was modified to a wider grille, taking it up the majority of the Gladiator's width, and it featured vertical bars, which was shared with the Jeep Wagoneer.

The Gladiator was offered in three wheelbase options: 110, 120, and 126-inches; which were half-ton, three-quarter ton, and one-ton capacities.

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3. Independent Suspension

The innovative truck was exactly what the world needed; a truck that can go anywhere. The Gladiator featured an advanced suspension design with an independent front suspension system. The front independent wheel axle was protected with torsion bars, as well as featured enclosed axle shafts, which offered extreme traction off the road while maintaining on-road comfort.

The Gladiator was capable of hauling loads as heavy as 3,977 pounds, and the high steering gear ratio allowed them to handle smoothly under these heavy loads.

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4. 1965

In 1965, Jeep equipped the Gladiator with a 327 cubic-inch V8 engine, also known as Vigilante, which produced 250-horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque. This motor was equipped with a 60-amp battery, hydraulic lifters, and overhead valves. In this year, 108,601 Gladiators were produced, making it quite the year for the extremely capable truck.

The Gladiator came with an automatic transmission or a three-speed manual transmission option, as well as an optional overdrive on the rear-wheel drive Gladiators.

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5. Low Sales

In 1967 and 1968, the Gladiator started selling less and less, and the low sales forced Jeep to make some changes, like cutting the rear-wheel drive versions, except for the J-100. In 1967, however, Jeep started producing the Gladiator for the military, which was based on the civilian J-series. In 1968, sales continued dropping, and Jeep cut some of the models offered with the Gladiator; however, cutting was not the only thing they did, as they offered the camper option for the J-3600 Gladiators.

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6. 1971

In 1971, the Gladiator name was dropped, and the truck was then known as simply the Jeep Pickup. In its last year with the Gladiator name, the Jeep was selling for a starting price of $3,804. The Gladiator name being dropped came shortly after AMC bought Kaiser-Jeep in 1970. 

The name disappeared until 2005 when Jeep introduced the Gladiator concept. The concept included an open air canvas roof, a windshield that folds down, and a 2.8-liter V4 turbo-diesel engine.

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For help with service and maintenance on your Jeep, check out the how to section of JK-Forums.com.